Prolouge

She was running, running so fast her fur was almost whipped back to her flesh, so fast she was hardly touching the ground, more of bouncing off the dirt terrain every now and again. Skidding to a halt, she almost hit the clump of trees that marked the exact middle of the thick forest. Waiting impatiently, she pawed at the ground, unearthing a few worms before battering them around and pressing them back into the floor. She wanted to hunt; she wanted to bury her muzzle into something soft and bloody. Raising her head to the darkening sky, she uttered a low howl and waited, sniffing the air as another carefully approached.
The other wolf was a slightly smaller female wolf, of almost the same colour. They both looked like timber wolves but where a lot more bulkier and slightly taller. The first wolf acknowledged the second with a small pant and bark. They approached and circled one another then stopped, mirroring each other. They had the scent.
Bull, a Bull Elk to be exactly was about 3 miles upwind and was alone. The first she-wolf gave a sort of nod like motion and pounced forward, flying through the air and around the clump of trees and into the thicket of the forest.
The two female’s copied one another as they moved silently through the trees, neither really touched the floor as they moved with ease, swerving through out the bushes and shrubs, slowly they began to slow their pace, circling around the elk. The hunt had already been planned out, one from the left, the other from the right. Both attack at the same time, taking the beast down with them.
The first she-wolf crept slowly, carefully not standing on the twigs, scanning the area for any way that the elk could possibly escape. There was none, none now that they both circled the elk. She stopped, watching the elk with clear blue eyes circled with yellow; she watched as the elk raised its head, finally realising it was in mortal danger. It shifted slightly to the left and she saw the all too familiar streak of fur of her other hunting partner creep slightly closer. The elk shuddered and began to run. It began to run straight at her. Tensing she waited, waited as it galloped closer, as it skidded past, she attacked, muzzle sinking into its neck, warm blood and damp fur filling her mouth.

Kirsty sat bolt right up and almost fell from the rather battered leather armchair she’d been dosing in. She’d been sleeping in the same chair for the past 5 hours, since she’d crawled back in from her change. Regaining her self control of falling over or not, she pulled herself up and looked across at the huge double window that had been facing her.
It was around midday and that made her sigh even more. She didn’t have to look at the clock that was rested in the middle of the wooden mantel over the large unused fire place in the only large study in the house. She could just tell, by the way the sun fell on the green grass, by the way the wind blew and by the way the day smelt. She couldn’t hear anything moving in the house either, so that meant she was alone. Rubbing the back of her hand across her forehead, Kirsty flicked her head to the side, a cascade of long flame red hair fell down her side, almost like a red curtain, it hid most of her face at times. It was basically a good thing to hide behind if she didn’t want to talk to anyone, they saw the curtain and knew that she wasn’t in a talking mood. Pushing herself forward she though of heading to the kitchen, but found her bare feet carrying her to the deck porch. The clear day light and open grounds where calling to her more then anything it seemed.
Dropping down to sit on one foot, she stared blankly out to the trees and shrubs that faced the back of the three storied, including the attic, stone house.
They’d named it Stone Haven as soon as they’d arrived, they called it that because it would be their haven from the world that was so out casting and judge mental of what they where. It was ironic that the first three Pack members had come here, so ironic they had come to live 3 miles out of a town called Wolfe Creek just down from New York City, the centre of the universe. Of course the Pack was mainly made up of ex-mutts, the three who had founded it, Trey, Luce and herself, had been mutts who had been rejected from nearly every Pack that they’d asked to join. By coincidence they’d met and decided to make their own. Sod the rest of the world, they would make their own world.
So in came the rather shabby to start off with stone house near the wood down from New York. In came three fresh out of the bake Alpha’s who swore not to fight each other for top position. In came the new Pack.
Staring blankly out at the trees, Kirsty found herself dwelling on old memories, things that had long gone, but still she though of them, unable to tear herself way from those images that flashed around.

Several years ago - England

A woman was screaming somewhere in the maternity ward in the local Yorkshire hospital. Of course that wasn’t really unusual, but still she was screaming like her insides where being torn out,
‘One more push and that should do it,’ the midwife said, waiting patiently at the side of the doctor who was delivering the child, ‘one more push,’ the woman willed. The young woman, who layback in one of those itchy hospital gowns, was chewing at her lip and squeezing the hand of a slightly balding male next to her. His face was a picture of delight and pain as his young wife almost broke his fingers. She gave one final push and the screaming baby girl squirmed out into the doctors arms,
‘It’s a girl,’ he announced and the woman let out a gasp of relief, collapsing back into the pillows and closed her eyes, ‘would you like to hold her?’ the doctor asked, offering the child to the man who would be her father. He nodded excitedly and took hold of the still screaming child, looking down into her little face, he beamed, and delighted he was a father,
‘babe..’ he muttered, speaking to his wife who was still collapsed back into the three pillows on the bed,’ babe what we going to call her?’ he muttered, dropping carefully into the hard backed wooden chair next to the bed. He wiggled one slightly chubby finger over the baby girls face and she grabbed it, squeezing a little to hard for a child that was only minutes old. Her father over looked it and stared into the large round curious blue eyes that looked up at him, ‘babe?’ he looked over to his wife and saw her asleep.
Standing her took a deep breath and handed the baby back to the doctor,
‘We’ll get her cleaned up and everything and get her back to you as soon as possible?’
‘Yeah sure that’s fine, we aren’t going no where!’ he laughed, a deep throaty laugh and flopped down back into his seat.
About 45 minutes later, well it could have been longer as he’d fallen asleep waiting, the doctor returned, holding a rather large pink bundle of blankets. He stared at hem a second then it caem rushing back, he was a father. Standing he took the baby from the doctor,
‘Now I just want to mention something,’ he said,
‘What? What’s wrong with my baby?’
‘Nothings wrong, in fact was going to congratulate you on how damn healthier she is. I’ve never seen a baby this old with such good scans. Usually they are a little weak, after the trauma of birth, but I must say what ever your wife has eaten, that child is going to be very healthy in life,’ the doctor smiled and turned away, walking back up the ward to congratulate another woman.
‘Robert?’ he jumped and span around to look at the sweat plastered face of his wife, she smiled weakly and re returned it,
‘Oh baby, we gotta little girl,’ he moved to her side in two swift steps and placed the baby into her arms, ‘she’s beautiful, what we gonna call her?’
‘Kirsty, she looks like a Kirsty,’